1. Are you a Real Estate Agent? 15% No, 85% Yes

2. Do you have an assistant that you use regularly? 70% No, 30% Yes

3. If yes, what type of assistant? 100% Non In-house Assistant

4. Have you ever considered using a Virtual Assistant? 43% Yes, 57% No

5. What do you love most about real estate? 71%: The ability to be my own boss, build my own business.

6. In regard to real estate, what do you struggle with the most?

A few of the answers:

• Creating regular client contact
• Following up with my database and past customers.
• Ongoing personal marketing.
• I am new so struggling to build my client base
• Making money in a down market
• Mortgage people
• Staying up with the paperwork and staying organized.
• Systems

7. What would you pay any amount of money to never have to do again? Provide as many answers as you like, as long as they pertain to real estate.

A few of the answers:

• Calling owners with feedback
• Making regular follow up calls
• Dealing with advertising
• Organizing files
• Mailings and Newletters
• Putting out Open House signs
• Calling Expireds or other Realtors
• Updating website
• Calling FSBO’s

8. Other than Word-of-Mouth, what marketing method works best for you?

A few of the answers:

• Blogging
• Internet
• Local Expert
• Local Newspaper
• Meeting potentials at Open Houses

What do you think about these answers?

Do you agree?  Disagree?  Tell me what you think!

Ten years of google. It’s been emotional.: http://tinyurl.com/cpnegf

Most of the things agents are looking for help are things that most REVA’s are already doing.  We just need to keep educating agents, and show them the true value of their time.

Some tasks that they’ve asked for are SO easy to implement into what we already offer.  It’s a wonderful win-win situation!

If you haven’t already, please take a few a minutes and complete this survey.  Thank you!

Please, take a moment to click the link and take this survey.  It won’t take more than 5 minutes.  Comments here or on the survey are encouraged!

Take Survey Here

Thank you!

My clients come first, and they will always come first. I don’t really quite understand the mentality of a lot of V.A.’s out there who seem to have an enormous virtual chip on their shoulder. Danielle Keister, who I admire and will completely devour anything she writes, has written a lot on this subject lately, and I’ve begun to see it myself, especially on Social Networking sites.

I think a lot of us in this industry have been burned before, maybe by a former employer, or have had businesses fail, so they turn the tables and burn before they can be burned. In the words of Dr. Phil, how’s that working out for you?

Aren’t we providing a service? Aren’t we asking these other entrepreneurs to pay us to provide something to them they can’t or won’t provide their self? Don’t let anyone walk all over you, but don’t bite the virtual hand that feeds you either.

Especially if you’re in real estate. In my experience, general V.A. work can be scheduled, it can have a longer turn around time, and if you need to work on something more pressing you can usually put that work on the back burner for a bit, then take care of something else. But if you decide to provide transaction coordination (my specialty) as a service, be prepared to be available to your agents at a moments notice, and a lot of times over the weekends.

As I work on restructuring and revamping, I decided to revisit just why I am in this industry, why I love it and what I’ve learned along the way.

Here is my REVA Top Ten:

1. The really good agents put their entire being into their work.  They will expect nothing less of you.
2. Get a Blackberry (or something similar) so that you’re reachable.  Most of the time for me, a simple “got it” goes a long way for a hard working agent, and you can take care of the work when  you have the time.
3. Be able to take the heat.  If your agents are still selling in this economy, (especially here in California) it means that they are hard workers that don’t take no for an answer.  It’s likely that a deal may fall out of escrow, the buyers may no longer qualify for their loan, etc. and you’ll need to know how to deal with your agent, and sometimes even be their scapegoat.
4. Buy a kick ass laser printer.  Have both letter and legal size paper, and lots of it.
5. Find ways to save time for your agents, and not just by doing things for them.  Teach them how to do things more efficiently – you should be an expert in this field!
6. Know the newest technology that will be beneficial to them.  Help them learn it, and you will become invaluable to them.
7. Be innovative.  Don’t copy what other V.A.’s are doing, find your own path.  If you can’t find it, make it.  I keep doing this, which is why my business has changed so much.
8. Become a marketing genius.  With agents and brokers, I am great in this area.  Marketing my own business?  Hmmm, not so much.
9. Know yourself and be selective.  I know who I won’t work with:  Whiners, complainers, lazy agents, over-critical agents, women over 60 (more on that another time), and the non tech savvy.
10. And finally, love it, live it & be great at it.  If you can’t, go do something else.  This line of work is not for the faint of heart.

I’ve started off with renaming my business.  While I think Balancing Act is a great name for a business, I needed something a little more me.  I am the one putting my heart and soul into the success of this company, I want my name out there!  Thus, April May Real Estate VA.  It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

This week, I have the opportunity to really perfect my Listing Coordination skills.  I have 6 new listings split between 2 agents this week.  With the results  we got last week, I’m really excited about this.  Since I’m able to post this listings in so many different places, my agents are finding that the majority of calls they are receiving, are from house hunters that don’t have an agent yet.

It’s bound to be a great week!

“April, thank you so much for all of your help! You re-listed a property that I thought would never sell, and today, just two days later, we have a potential CASH buyer! Amazing!”

I’m sure you can imagine how great it feels to have someone truly believe in what you do, and have the results to prove it. The property hasn’t even been sold yet, but I believe she’ll be using my Listing Coordination service again soon!

Free eBook on Personal Branding

Partnering with a VA reduces stress, protects cash flow, eliminates administrative hassles, and enables business people to find the success they originally set out to achieve.

A VA is your right hand person helping you to succeed in your business. The irony is you may never meet your VA as odds are they live nowhere near you!”

*Source: Virtual Assistant Networking Association Virtual Assistant Definition
The Largest Global Meeting Place Online for Aspiring and Successful Virtual Assistants